We Don't Belong Here: Phantom of The Opera
by TheMostRandomOfRandomWriters
Summary: Ivy's plan when they got pulled into a fictional world was to just keep her head down and not interfere. Unfortunately, Ariel didn't quite see things the way she did.
1. Chapter 1

I've met my share of people who could be described as crazy. The Phantom of the Opera shouldn't have been any different. Of course, that would have been easier to deal with, so he was a crazy with the gift of music.

Ariel going along my plan would have been easier, too, but that didn't happen.

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ivy Williams, and I don't belong in 19th century France. Or the 19th century at all. Or any time period where they wear corsets. I _never_ want to go to one were they do again – I was breathing weird for a week afterward. How did I end up there, you ask? That's a good question.

I have the ability to travel between universes – the ones where our stories take place. And some of those take place in the past. After I do that, I record myself telling the story and send to somebody who types it out and puts it on the internet. On a _fanfiction_ website. Whatever. No one would believe any of it if they said it was real any how, I guess.

We'd been doing the musical version of _Phantom of the Opera _at school, so I suppose it was only time before I ended up there. I probably should have thought of that before I let Ariel talk me into replacing a dancer who had to drop out. Too late now.

We had left school after practice and were walking home together. Ariel started recounting something funny that had happened during a rehearsal I had missed while I was gone - you'll find that incident chronicled in the last entry in this series. You don't have to read it - it contains an incident which I would really rather forget.

Apparently, our Phantom, Edward, had been rehearsing "Why So Silent" in costume. He'd had a dramatic entrance on the stairs, which was cut short when he tripped on his cape and fell down several steps. He'd hit someone on the way down, who fell into the next person, knocking them over, and setting off a domino reaction all the way down the staircase we were using for that scene.

"Everyone's okay, right?" I asked when I stopped laughing.

"Oh, yeah. Just a few bumps and bruises. I _so _envy Christine," she added, partly to herself.

"_What_?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong – I'm not one of those girls who thinks that his tragic past makes it okay for him to murder people. And I don't really particularly find Gerard Butler attractive – he's not my type."

"But you do find some of the other ones attractive? Ramin Karimloo, maybe? Or the one you're acting opposite to?"

Her cheeks flushed slightly pink. "No comment. But I do envy the fact that Christine got coaching from one of the greatest musicians to ever live."

"Yes, well, she paid for it."

"I'd say it was worth it."

I started to get the strangest feeling in my stomach – a weird tingling.

The world around me spun. Ariel grabbed my arm.

"_Not_ _again_!" I yelled.

Yeah. Thinking about the story is what triggers my ability and pulls me into it. But only sometimes. I really don't understand how it works, to be honest.

A moment later, I found myself sitting in an old fashioned theater box next to Ariel. Ariel looked strange. I could see her, but she was… flickering. I looked down at my hands to see they were the same, as was the rest of me.

Weird.

I turned to look at the stage. On it was a group of people in colorful costumes. A woman with brown hair stood in the enter of the stage, singing "Think of Me".

I groaned.


	2. Chapter 2

We stared at each other for a moment.

"You have got to be kidding me," said Ariel.

"I'm sorry," I said, staring out at the stage. "I don't do this on purpose."

"We're in _Phantom of the Opera_?"

"Yup. If my guess is right, we're right on time for the beginning. And, not only that, we are going to look very conspicuous if we don't get some different clothes."

Ariel's heels tapped on the floor as she walked to the edge of the box. "Sierra Boggess. Yay!"

"Sh!" I hissed. I paused. No one seemed to have noticed. "Who's Sierra Boggess?" I asked softly.

"She was Christine in the twenty fifth anniversary performance."

We'd watched that together a couple weeks ago. Ariel had it on DVD. But this girl looked like the one from the movie to me. She wore the outfit from the play version, but that was where the resemblance ended. Whatever.

A friend - you may know him as "The Doctor" - told me later that, because there were so many actors and actresses who'd played the parts, our brains just picked whichever ones we wanted to see. So just imagine your favorite Phantom and Christine and other actors here. Not that you probably wouldn't have anyhow if we hadn't mentioned which actor it was in the first place.

"So I guess this is the play version, not the movie?" said Ariel. "Definitely not the book. I'm not familiar with the operas they did in there, but I'm reasonably sure that _Hannibal_ wasn't one of them. Actually, I don't think _Hannibal_ is even a real opera."

"What's the difference between the play and the movie?"

"Story wise? Not much, though they cut some of the good stuff out of the movie. The book actually has a bunch of different stuff, but this part wouldn't be in it, so that's how I know where we are. So, what do we do now?"

"I don't know if we can travel back until the story's over, so, first off, we should resign ourselves to waiting this out. We should also get some more clothes that are more… current with the times." This was the first time I'd actually gone back in time to go into a story and I didn't exactly know what all I should do. "You're really calm about this."

"I've kind of been expecting it, ever since I found out what you could do."

I really hadn't thought this whole joining a musical thing through. I made a note to myself: Never, ever, ever, be in another play again. Ever. Also, try harder to think things through.

Something dropped behind us. I turned around to see a woman staring at us - or rather through us.

"Who's there?" she said, although she was staring right at us.

I said nothing.

"Hello?" she said.

I motioned to Ariel that we should go around her. We did so silently.

"No one can see us?" asked Ariel once we were down the hall and well out of earshot.

"Apparently not. I suppose that will make it easier, in some ways. If no one can see us, we can slip in and out of places pretty easily."

"Why?"

"I have no idea."

Ariel groaned. "They're probably going to think we have some connection to the Opera Ghost."

Whatever happened next, I didn't doubt it would be interesting.

Interesting, however, mean be many different things. It's not always a good thing.


	3. Chapter 3

We spent several hours wandering around the building. I've just got to say, I love old buildings. There's just something about them that modern buildings don't have and can never have.

As we explored the foyer, we overheard people talking about the disembodied voices which had been heard all day. We probably should have been careful about people hearing us. Ah well. Too late now. We walked past Madame and Meg Giry.

"Do you think they're somehow connected with the Phantom?" asked Meg.

"Not I know of," said Madame. "Perhaps they're some sort of trick of his."

"We're not," I said as I walked past.

Both of them jumped and yelled.

"Couldn't resist," I said when we had passed them.

My foot struck something and I nearly tripped over the item. A box. A white box, one which looked completely out of place and sat there in the middle of the floor. Written on the front was "Ivy and Ariel". Coincidence? I think not. I opened it to find, on top of a white dress, a piece of paper. I removed it.

"Hi, past me," I read aloud. "Here, figured you might need these. The Doctor had these made and left it for me. White's for you, pink's for Ariel. There's all the corsets and that sort of stuff too. You can figure out how to put it on, I'm sure. All you need to do to become visible is touch someone important – Meg, the Phantom, Christine, anyone should do. Future you."

I tucked the note in my pocket and picked up the white dress. Beneath was a pink one, along with other period appropriate… items.

It took us forever to figure out how everything worked, but eventually we had it right. We laced the corsets loosely so we could breathe properly. Well, actually we couldn't breathe properly wearing them, no matter how loose they were. Future me had even been good enough to provide shoes of the right size – giving Ariel's the highest heels I could – she's four eleven and prefers high heeled shoes. [What, Ariel?] Sorry, four foot eleven _and a half_.

In appropriate period dress, I now felt more comfortable with revealing our presence. Except for that, while we were invisible, we'd be able to slip in and out fairly easily. And that could be important if we needed a place to sleep. For that reason, we stayed invisible.

We watched the opera that evening. I'm _really_ not a fan of opera, but I did manage to sit through it without dying of boredom. We stood at the back, saying nothing, but applauding as loud as anyone.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, recognizing the expression on Ariel's face as the final notes played.

"Nothing," she said a little too innocently.

"You have that look you get when you have a really bad idea."

"What could the Phantom do with my voice?"

"Ariel, I know how much you love musical theater and stuff like that. I know how much you love singing and acting. But please, don't do something stupid."

Tonight, Christine would meet her teacher. I felt sorry for her. But my no interference policy still holds.

People slowly began to leave the room.

I sat down in an empty chair once the room was empty and the building quiet. "You sleep for a few hours, I'll keep watch. We'll switch off in a few hours."

Ariel shook her head. "Not yet. How empty do you think the building is? I was thinking… I'll probably never get another chance like this. Like being almost alone in this setting? I've always wanted to try singing on the stage in a place like this."

People couldn't really catch us and turn us out if they couldn't see us, no matter how loud she sang. And she's got a beautiful voice.

We waited a few more hours until we were sure everyone was far away or sleeping before Ariel climbed to the front of the stage. Her heels tapped against the stage as she climbed to the center. Her pink dress stood out against the dark red curtains and the dark brown stage.

She started off soft on a song I didn't recognize, possibly in Latin. It was a shame that someone like Erik couldn't teach her - she would have proved a willing student.

The doors banged open. "Who's there?" yelled a voice. Buquet.

Ariel darted off the stage. For a girl who's wearing stupidly tall heels, she ran fast.

We stood in silence for a moment, waiting for the man's next action.

"Ghosts," he muttered, and left.


	4. Chapter 4

We spent the next day avoiding people in the corridors.

We heard a lot of talk about disembodied voices. People were already spreading the most _ridiculous _stories – my favorite being that we had been murdered by the opera ghost and that now we were returning to take revenge. I heard that one from Meg Giry. Ariel's favorite was the one that we were dead friends of Christine's, returning to witness her triumph.

That night, Ariel decided to try singing on stage again. Her first song was "Think of Me".

I had almost fallen asleep when the sound of applause woke me. I looked up. A man in a dark cape and white half mask stood at the back of the stage.

Ariel spun around.

"You have a beautiful voice, but so little feeling. Try it again, but try to _feel_ it."

I stared at Ariel and shook my head. He would be able to tell where her voice was coming from.

She started singing again.

I wanted to run up onto stage and stop her, but I couldn't spoil this moment for her. A moment that she would have given nearly anything for before today.

And she sounded _really_ good.

She's a good singer and all that, but this was far beyond anything I'd ever heard her do. "Wow," I breathed.

I was almost glad I hadn't stopped her.

The Phantom walked in the direction of Ariel's voice.

Ariel turned and ran back to me. His head jerked in our direction. Those stupid heels of hers made quite a racket on the floor.

He stared at us - well, more accurately, through us - a small smile coming across his face. "It's alright."

I knelt down on the floor and started tugging on Ariel's shoes. She realized what I meant and pulled the high heeled shoes off, leaving her barefoot and a good few inches shorter. I pulled off my own shoes and began moving in the other direction. "You have a student. Leave Ariel alone," I ordered.

"That was amazing," she breathed.

"Let's go."

We headed toward the doors. He didn't seem to hear the much softer sound of our footsteps, as he didn't follow.

Ariel shook like a leaf and she looked like she was about to faint. I wrapped an arm around her to support her.

"So amazing," she breathed as we the room. "Wow."

This wasn't going to be the last I heard of it.


	5. Chapter 5

Ariel wanted to sleep in the same room as the night before. I said absolutely not and instead told her we would sleep in one of the rooms where they stored props.

I fell asleep and woke up in the middle of the night. No Ariel. Of course. I got up and headed to where I suspected she would be.

Madame Giry and Meg stood in the corridor outside the theater, whispering about what to do.

"It's a disembodied voice taking lessons from the Opera Ghost," I said. "I'll deal with it."

Both screamed.

I walked past them and into the room. Ariel stood in the middle of the stage, the Phantom pacing around her. She was clearly completely under his spell. I'd never heard the song before. It was full of high notes I wouldn't be capable of hitting and sounded incredibly complex.

And she sounded _great_.

I stood for a moment, watching. She'd never seemed so alive to me as she did in that moment. But it wasn't safe. "Ariel!" I shouted. "Ariel!"

Her voice cut off abruptly and she blinked, looking dazed. "Ivy?"

"I told her to leave her be," I addressed the Phantom. "You're already stalking Miss Daae. What do you want Ariel for?"

Ariel's expression began to clear. "What did I do?" she mumbled.

"Go, I'll there in a moment," I said.

She obeyed.

"What are you?" asked the Phantom.

I said nothing and left. We would stay out of the way. That was what we would do. What I always did.

Ariel was waiting for me in the props room, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Ivy… what did I do?"

I bit down all the things I wanted to say and sat down next to her.

Neither of us slept or said anything. We stayed awake, listening to all the people moving around outside. Apparently, hearing music in the opera house after hours, sung by a disembodied voice, is highly unusual, and we were a popular topic of conversation. Ariel looked like she was in a state of shock. She didn't talk, she just stared at the wall, face blank. I said nothing. We headed outside when it got light outside and wandered around. Really, that's all we'd been doing so far.

We came to the foyer to find the managers, Raoul, Carlotta, and others gathered, reading their notes and arguing.

"Far too many notes for my taste and most of them about Christine!" sang the two managers. "All we've heard since we came is Miss Daae's name –"

"Miss Daae has returned," sang Madame Giry from the bottom of the stairs.

"I hope no worse for wear as far as we're considered," said Fermin.

"Where precisely is she now?" asked Andre.

"I thought it best she went home."

"She needed rest," sang Meg.

It's weird to be in a musical. _Really_ weird.

Madame Giry handed over the note. Fermin started to read the Phantom's note. The Phantom's voice took over for hers, singing. It was _really_ creepy. "Christine Daae has returned to you and I am anxious her career should progress. In the new production of Il Muto, you will therefore cast Carlotta as the pageboy and put Miss Daae in the role of Countess. The role which Miss Daae plays calls for charm and appeal. The role of the pageboy is silent, which makes my casting, in a word, ideal."

Fermin's voice began to bleed through into the words as the note finished.

"Christine!" shrieked Carlotta rather shrilly.

The others followed her out, trying to persuade her to sing instead of Christine.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi, this is Ariel narrating now.

I glanced at Ivy. "Shouldn't we try to warn them?"

She shrugged. "Erik already did. It was their choice not to listen."

I'd just like to say that some - okay, pretty much all of - the following events are deeply humiliating to me, so if you want to skip this, go ahead. And by "following events", I mean pretty much the rest of the rest of the story.

"We should warn Buquet," I said. "The Phantom's going to kill him tonight."

Ivy shook my head. "Ariel, I told you how this works. We don't interfere."

"What, are you just going to let him die? Are you crazy or do you have some other plan here?"

"This coming from you? You know a guy's dangerous, but you go back to him for music lessons?"

I glared at her, turned, and walked away, climbing up the staircase.

She stayed where she was. "I didn't say I liked doing it." Her voice had softened slightly.

"I don't like it either. I'm going to go find him."

"You can't do that."

"I'm sorry, but since when are you in charge? You seem to make all the decisions."

"I do that because it's the only way I know to protect you," she snapped. "I'm sorry if you don't like it, but I don't know what else to do."

I ran back to the props room we'd slept in and started screaming, railing at Ivy for what my friend was. How could I ever have been friends with somebody who could do that – leave someone innocent to die like that?

I eventually collapsed behind a long mirror and started to cry.

Did anyone hear my screaming? I don't know, but I wasn't interrupted. They probably thought it would be better to leave the ghost alone rather than make her even more angry.

I eventually stood up and went to find Buquet.

I thoroughly explored the building, but found him nowhere.

It soon became time for the evening performance to begin, and he was nowhere to be found. I eventually climbed up into the rafters to search. Below me, the performance began. I was pretty sure that I spotted Ivy standing in the aisle, watching the performance, but I wasn't sure.

I took a turn and found myself face to face with the Phantom.

I sidestepped in time to avoid him brushing up against me – if he touched me, he'd be able to see me, I remembered just in time.

The Phantom peered down intently at the figures on stage.

"Don't kill him," I said. "Please don't kill him."

He jumped, turning toward me.

"Please, he hasn't done anything."

The Phantom walked away. I followed him to the small area near the ceiling, ignoring my voice.

"Did I not instruct," he shouted, "that Box 5 was to be left empty?!"

Ivy looked straight up at us. Her face paled considerably and she broke into a run.

The voices on stage reached into the high up area.

"Your part is silent, little toad," hissed Carlotta.

"A toad, Madame?" said the Phantom. "Perhaps it is _you_ who the toad."

Carlotta started to sing again, only for her songs to be interrupted by toad croaks.

The Phantom started to laugh. I joined in.


	7. Chapter 7

Ariel here.

Ivy appeared behind us. How had she made her way up so fast? She grabbed my arms and pulled me back forcibly.

"I'm trying to do the right thing here," I hissed at her, trying to get free.

"So am I. What do you think will happen to the story if he lives? The damage would be too much to undo. I don't want him to die," she said. "I don't want anyone to die. Please believe me."

I stopped fighting. She had a good point, one I hadn't thought of. What would happen if Buquet didn't die?

She let go.

I stared at Ivy for a moment. "But isn't there a better way?"

"If there was, no one's thought of it."

"There's got to be a better way." Below, the ballet had started. I watched.

"There isn't, Ariel. My personal feelings have to be put aside in this."

"I can't believe that there's nothing else, that there's no other way."

Something fell from the rafters above the stage. Screams filled the room.

"It's done," said Ivy.

It was the way she said it that finally made me snap. Not with any sadness. Not even with emotion. Her voice was utterly blank, as was her face – which, for her, was unusual.

"It's _done_?" I echoed. "That's all. A man just died and all you can say is that it's done?" I turned and ran.

I ran all the way up to the roof, to the edge of the roof. Ivy was crazy. Absolutely crazy.

Raoul and Christine burst onto the roof, singing and arguing.

I ignored their singing and considered my options. Go back to Ivy, thinking she was a murderer, or… what else?

Their song turned into "All I Ask of You".

This must be killing the Phantom to hear. His student, deeply in love with someone else.

A little voice in my head reminded me that he was a murderer. Another voice in my head reminded me that all he ever wanted was to not be alone.

Both of the singers left, leaving a rose in the snow. The Phantom approached and began to sing, shredding it to pieces as he did.

He climbed up onto the statue. "You will curse the day you did not do all that the Phantom asked of you!" he finished.

I walked toward him.

And this is where things become really, deeply embarrassing.

"You don't have to be alone," I said.

He spun around.

I can't quite describe my fascination with him. The experience of singing for him was incredible, and I could think of little else aside from that. It was the amazing thing. He was in my head, and I couldn't get him out.

"I'm not just a voice," I said, walking toward him.

"No!" yelled Ivy's voice.

I grabbed the Phantom's hand.

An electric shock shot from his fingers up my body, nearly causing me to collapse. I was finally solid again.

He stared down at me. A small smile crept across his face.

"Ariel!" yelled Ivy.

The Phantom, still clutching my hand, began to lead me across the roof.

Ivy broke into a run.

We plunged through the floor into darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

Ivy here.

I dropped to the snowy stones where their footprints ended and started clawing at the ground, trying to find what they'd vanished into. I screamed at Ariel, banged my fists on the ground, and eventually went silent, staring at the snow.

The door opened and footsteps sounded. Christine appeared, wrapped in a cloak. She glanced around, her gaze falling on the shredded pieces of the rose.

"He's gone for now," I said, and stood up, walking toward her. "He's found a new student, I believe."

Her gaze moved over the roof. "Are you one of the opera ghosts?" she asked.

"You of all people should know they aren't real, Miss Daae. No, I'm not a ghost. I've been wandering the opera house for the last few days because I didn't know what else to do," I said. "I'm not a ghost, I'm a person, just like you."

"He's gone?" she repeated.

"For a while, yes, but not forever," I replied. "But he's found a new student. And I need to get her before something terrible happens to her. May I use the entrance through your mirror, Miss Daae?"

She nodded.

She led me down through the building to her room.

It took a good ten minutes to find how to get the mirror to open, but I finally slid it aside and made my way into the maze.

I'm not going to recount my journey through the tunnels – suffices to say I got completely lost and only realized which way to go when I heard Ariel's voice echoing through the stillness, singing.

I broke into a run, following the sound of her voice, until I reached the mist covered lake.

The bars hadn't been lowered yet, so I swam across. I'd always liked swimming and been rather good at it, and managed to make it to the other side without making enough noise or splashes to alert either of them.

They were singing the song "Music of the Night" as a duet. I leave it to you to imagine how that sounded. For spontaneous music with no discernible music source, it sounded fantastic. I would expect nothing less from the Phantom of the Opera.

The song ended.

The Phantom turned around and I climbed onto shore.

Ariel calmly regarded me for a moment, then shook her head.

I nodded. Oh yes, she was leaving, and she was going to do so if I had to drag her out by her hair.

I stepped forward to do so, but the ground seemed to disappear from underneath me and everything went black.


	9. Chapter 9

A moment later, I found myself sitting on the ground in front of the opera house. People in costumes were entering.

Sitting next to me was a white box like the one I'd gotten my dress out of.

I opened it to find a white cat mask. It would cover my entire face, except for my eyes, nose, and mouth. A note lay on top.

_Hi, past me! No one can see you, but you should still have a costume of some kind. By the way, you just went through a time jump because nothing happens in the story for six months. Future you_

Raoul and Christine walked past, Christine in pink.

I put the mask on and walked into the opera house.

It would have been six months – six months of Ariel under the Phantom's influence. What would she be like now?

Music started as I entered the room. I joined in "Masquerade" at the appropriate times, singing my heart out. I'd only get this opportunity once, and I wouldn't let my dread spoil my fun. I love that song.

I danced along, running through a few people and almost bumping into Christine and Raoul a few times.

Then the song suddenly stopped.

The Phantom stood at the top of the stairs, in his crimson red death outfit. Ariel stood behind him.

Ariel looked both fantastic and terrible, if that makes sense.

She looked fantastic in that… well, she looked great. Her dress was bright red, though not quite as bright as the Phantom's. The long skirt trailed along the stairs as she descended. Her long hair had been styled in ringlets down her back. Her pale face stood out against the darker colors. It wasn't just the face and hair, though. She carried herself differently, walked differently. Even if she hadn't arrived with the Phantom, I didn't doubt she would have commanded the attention of everyone in the room.

So how could she have looked terrible? She looked as if she hadn't eaten in a long time. Everything about her was sharper, thinner. Dark circles under her eyes suggested she hadn't slept in a while either. And she looked… wrong. Like she wasn't completely herself anymore.

They stood there for a moment, surveying the party.

"Why so silent, good Messieurs? Did you think that I had left you for good?"

They said nothing, staring at him.

"Have you missed me, good Messieurs? I have written you an opera! Here, I bring the finished score. Don Juan Triumphant!" He threw his folder of music to the ground and drew his sword. "Fondest greetings to you all, a few instructions just before rehearsal starts. Carlotta must be taught to act, not her normal trick of strutting round the stage." He used the sword to play with the plumes on Carlotta's hat.

"Our Don Juan must lose some weight, it's not healthy in a man of Piangi's age," sang Ariel.

That single line sent a chill down my spine. There was an unearthly quality to her voice that I'd never heard her produce before. She sounded a million times better than I'd ever hear her sound.

"And my managers must learn that their place is in an office, not the arts. As for our star, Miss Christine Daae..." the Phantom's gaze turned on Christine. "No doubt she'll do her best. It's true, her voice is good, she knows, though, should she wish to excel, she has much still to learn. If pride will let her return to me, her teacher, her teacher..."

Christine approached the Phantom. They stared at each other for a moment.

He ripped the engagement ring off her neck. "Your chains are still mine! You belong to me!"

He ran back, grabbed Ariel, and disappeared with a flash of fire.


	10. Chapter 10

I stayed next to the pillar and watched everything unfold after they vanished.

I peeled off the mask I'd sent myself and dropped it on the ground. What now? Every thing in me made we want to go down to that cave and drag Ariel out by her hair if necessary. But if I did, she'd just go back to that… lunatic, first chance she got. Unless I managed to get him out of her head.

Trying to talk Ariel out of _anything_ is like trying to move a six ton rock uphill. I don't speak from experience about moving the rock, but you get what I mean. When she wants something, she'll do anything to get it. Was that why she was with the Phantom? She'd always said she wished she had a better voice, even though the one she had was really good - was it worth that much to her?

Christine wandered by, alone. Her face was white and she looked sick. Raoul was probably off plotting with the managers.

"It'll be all right, Christine," I said. "I promise."

She jumped. "It's you. After six months?"

"It's a long story," I said. "But I promise it'll be okay."

"The last time I trusted a voice… this happened."

"I'm not just a voice, I'm right here," I said. Before I knew what I was doing, I reached forward and touched her arm.

An electric shock ran up my arm and I yelped as I became solid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What had I been _thinking_? That had been impulsive and stupid.

Christine looked me up and down. "You're… a person."

"Yes, yes I am. I'm Ivy Williams. You're Christine Daae." And I now I needed to find a place to stay. And a change of clothes, too. My white dress needed cleaning.

"What are you?" she asked.

"A concerned friend of the girl who just appeared on the stairs The rest is _very_ complicated."

Christine's gaze strayed toward the stairs, then fixed back on me.

"Play his game, sing his opera," I said. "As for the rest, that's entirely up to you. And just remember… he's not beyond all help. No one is."

Ariel narrating now.

I suppose you're all wondering what I did while I was with the Phantom. Well, one thing I _didn't_ do was rip off his mask, or even mention it.

Another thing I didn't do was fall in love. That's not to say we didn't get along. But I'm a teenager and he's… I have no idea how old he is, but it's too old for me.

What did we do then? The Phantom spent his time composing _Don Juan Triumphant_. I actually know the whole thing from start to finish, and am in the process of writing it all down. It's the most beautiful music I've ever heard. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but it's going to be something that Erik would have wanted. Yes, he told me to call him Erik, eventually.

There was always music in the air – beautiful, enchanting music of the night that made me forget about everything else. It was like an addiction. You always want more, and every moment it's not there, it's all you can think about and you can't rest until you get more. But there was always more music.

And I also practiced. I practiced long and hard, with Erik coaching me as he worked, training me.

"I'll make you the most famous singer in the world," he promised me one day as he composed.

In return for this, I surrendered to everything in that lair completely – gave up my mind to it, pretty much. If I ever slept, I don't remember it. If I wasn't singing, I was writing down music for Erik, making copies for him. Sometimes, while we did this, he asked questions about me – where I'd come from, why I'd been invisible. Some little part of my mind caused me to avoid these.

Why did he keep me around? I think it was because I was willing to stay. Because I offered him acceptance with no conditions or questions. Most people don't get that from anyone, him most of all.


	11. Chapter 11

Ivy here.

Christine was nice enough to lend me a dress, all the while asking me questions. I think she thought I was some kind of guardian angel or something. Why she'd want to deal with another supposed angel after the last one turned out to actually be a disfigured stalker, I don't exactly know.

"Do you know him?" she asked, after I'd gotten changed into the dark blue dress. "The Phantom, I mean."

"No. I've spoken with him, but I wouldn't say I know him." Well, less spoken with and more threatened him, but you get the point.

Christine was good enough to offer to let me stay at the Opera. I accepted the offer, and spent the night sleeping a chair outside her room.

I was awoken suddenly, in the middle of the night, by a floorboard creaking. I jumped up from the chair, blinking sleep from my eyes.

Raoul stood there, looking surprised. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Ivy," I said. Was that a weird name for this time period? Or this country? And while I was on that subject, how did one greet people properly in these days? I was pretty sure it wasn't with a handshake. "Miss Daae had said I could stay here for the night."

He smiled and introduced himself. "You're probably not the only one spending the night tonight."

He sat down on the stairs.

I sat back down in the chair and fell asleep almost immediately, which, for me, is unusual.

I woke up again to a tiny squeak as the door opened.

Christine slipped past me and Raoul, heading down the wooden stairs.

I considered my options. One, I could go back to sleep. Two, I could follow her. Three, I could make my way to the underground lake and see if I could convince Ariel to come back.

I discarded option one at once.

Option three came next. Ariel wouldn't listen to me if I managed to get in, and physical force wouldn't solve anything.

I went with option two, getting up quickly and following her down the stairs silently.

I followed Christine's carriage on foot, staying out of sight as best I could and shivering. My brilliant plan of following her hadn't taken the winter weather into account. Fortunately, my future self had been so good to leave another white box, this one with a long black cloak.

I followed her to the graveyard and watched her, wandering her around in the snow and singing. She eventually ended her song and knelt down in front of her father's tomb.

The Phantom began to sing. The doors of the tomb opened and the inside began to glow orange. Christine stood and began to walk toward it, because entering the glowing tomb and coming toward the guy you know is a murderous lunatic singing to you is a _really_ good idea.

"No, Christine! Wait!"

A horse's hooves thudded against the ground. She turned to see Raoul jumping off the back of a white horse.

"Whatever you believe Christine, this man, this thing, is not your father," he said, heading toward the tomb.

The Phantom jumped down off the tomb, lashing out at Raoul with a sword.

I made a mental note to learn how to use a sword. It could come in handy in these sorts of situations. That and it's pretty cool, too.

Raoul knocked him over and raised his sword.

"No, Raoul! Not like this," said Christine.

They jumped onto the horse's back and galloped away.

I marched over to the Phantom and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, yanking him to his feet. "Where's Ariel?" I growled. "I'm not going to ask twice."

He hesitated.

"_Answer my question_!" I screamed. "You have some crazy kind of hold over her, and one way or another, that is going to end."

He shook his head, wrenched my hands off him, and darted away to behind a tall tombstone.

I reached the spot to find myself alone.


	12. Chapter 12

I walked back to the Opera House alone. Snow settled on my hair and cloak, melting and soaking my hair. I sensed someone following me the entire way – the Phantom, I had no doubt. As much as I wanted to lose him, I was too afraid of getting lost in a big city.

I'd always wanted to visit Paris. I hadn't really planned to do it this way, though.

It occurred to me as I approached, however, that I was no longer invisible and would have to have a legitimate reason to be there.

I went in through the grate which the Phantom had first entered the Opera House. Ariel's voice echoed through the tunnels. She sounded absolutely incredible. There was an unearthly beauty to her voice that I'd never heard before in any singer's voice. It wasn't that every note was flawless and amazing, though most of them were. It was that he had brought out something in her voice that set her apart from every other singer I'd ever heard.

I sank down against the wall and listened. Eventually, her voice was joined by the Phantom's.

Seriously, you'd think she'd have to stop _sometimes_. Her throat must hurt.

I let myself in through the mirror and slipped into the building. No one really paid me any attention. They were rehearsing _Don Juan Triumphant_ and presumably had more important things to worry about than the red haired girl quietly making her way up to the roof.

I'm not so good at making plans. The best one I had was to just it how. We had to get home _sometime_. Then Ariel would have to go. It would be hard, but she'd have what she wanted. An _incredible_ voice. And we'd be able to wash our hands of this whole thing.

I had sympathy for the Phantom. I'm not heartless. Yes, it's horrible what happened to him. He shouldn't have been treated as he was. But he doesn't have to strangle people and extort money and harass the singers because of it. Seriously, am I the only person who thinks it's really creepy that Christine's like seventeen and he's at least thirty?

At least he didn't think that way about Ariel… I hoped.

I scrubbed that thought from my brain as best I could.

That performance of _Don Juan Triumphant_ couldn't come soon enough.

It's surprising how you can pass time when you want to, though. I spent the days before the performance dodging people who might ask why I was there and taking pictures of the Opera House with my cell phone. Somehow, it still worked, even in the nineteenth century. It couldn't make calls, but it took pictures and did some other stuff.

I suspect an alien friend of mine might have upgraded my cell phone without asking. Not that I was complaining.

I just had to wait this thing out and hope that whatever Ariel came out at the end would bear some resemblance to the one who'd gone into the Phantom's lair.


	13. Chapter 13

Ivy here. Again.

The night of the performance came. Christine was kind enough to offer to get me a seat so I could watch, but I declined. I'd really rather not risk being hit by a falling chandelier and possibly trapped in a burning theater. That would be incredibly counterproductive to my goal of getting out of everything alive.

Besides, the weird looks people gave me when they saw my hair were getting annoying. My hair is cut short so no one can grab it and use it against me in a fight. The last time someone did, I actually had to cut it off to get free. However, in the 19th century, it's unusual for a woman to have hair barely longer than a boy's.

On top of all that, the scene they did on stage gets a little too… heated for my tastes.

Most of you are probably thinking that I'm oversensitive. I really don't care.

I instead waited by Christine's mirror in her room. It was a long, boring wait. I amused myself by going over my plan repeatedly. I had to do it a lot of times because it was very short. What was my plan? Head down when the performance started and remove Ariel by her hair if necessary. Oh, and keep my hand at the level of my eyes, unlike Raoul did. Literally, that's all I had. I'm horrible at plans, okay?

Music began. I opened the mirror and headed down through the tunnel. I ran through the tunnels, my gasping breaths and footsteps echoing off the walls. It's not that I'm out of shape – quite the opposite, in fact. It's that the stupid corset makes it almost impossible to breathe normally. I'd taken to lacing it properly when I became visible, but hadn't gotten used to it yet. Seriously. What genius thought it was a good idea to put girls in vests that cut off their circulation? Probably whoever said "You must suffer to be beautiful". Probably a man. And, very possibly, an idiot.

I eventually made it to the lake. I glanced down at the dark blue dress. The water would probably ruin it.

"Sorry, Christine," I said, and plunged into the water.

I made it to the lair a few minutes later.

Ariel sat by the edge of the water. Her face was strangely blank as she regarded me.

"Ariel!" I yelled. "I need to talk to you. This will only hurt you. Don't lie to yourself. He's not just a musical genius, he's a murderer. And he's insane."

"I'm under no illusions on that. But are you any better than he is? You're a murderer too." She stood up and waded through the water. Her skirt floated up around her. "You're just less direct about it."

Ouch. "If he hadn't died, Christine would have needed some other way to convince her that the Phantom was a threat. Ariel… neither of us belong here. It's not our place to change anything."

Ariel here.

I regarded Ivy for a moment, thinking over what she said.

"Ariel, we can leave," said Ivy. "We can leave. You have what you wanted, don't you?"

"I didn't do this for that!" I yelled. "I did it because…" Because I'd been mad at Ivy and had wanted to lash out. Because I'd thought maybe it could turn out differently when I knew it couldn't.

"Because you care about people?" Ivy spun around, her hand shooting up to the level of her eyes. A noose wrapped around her neck and arm, pulling her backwards.

I pulled the lever. Christine was removed from the boat and shoved at me. I pulled her over to the shore as Erik jumped out himself.

Ivy was in the process of trying to get the noose off, clawing at it with her free hand. She ceased her efforts to get it off and instead lunged, using her free hand to choke Erik. He released the end of the noose, his hands flying up to wrench her wrist away. She took advantage of the moment, releasing him and loosening the noose so she could slide it off her neck. She threw the noose down in the water and put her hands up in a position of surrender. "I'm here for Ariel," she said, fending off his attacks. "I'll leave you alone, I'll even lure the mob away if you want. Just let her leave."

He looked over at me.

His deformity was visible for the first time since I'd met him. It was bad, much uglier than in the movie (though, granted, that's not saying much – seriously, if I saw someone who looked like him crossing the street I _might_ give them a second glance, it really doesn't look all that bad). Still, I can honestly say I didn't care.

"You're not scared?" asked Erik, eyes boring into me.

I stared back unflinchingly. Except for water splashing softly against walls, the cave was absolutely silent.

"Do you want to go?" he asked.

I shook my head.


	14. Chapter 14

Ariel here.

Ivy groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, Ariel."

Erik climbed out of the boat and quietly went to deal with Christine.

Ivy stayed in the water. She leaned against the boat, face turned slightly away from me.

I walked down to the water. "I couldn't do that," I said. "Not now, when there's only a little time left."

Her voice came out surprisingly calm. "Don't give me that, Ariel. You _do_ want to stay forever. You just know you can't."

She had me on that one. "I'm sorry."

"No. I'm sorry. We have to go back, and it's going to be soon. And it's going to hurt you. I'm sorry I ever brought you here."

"You didn't have a choice."

"That doesn't mean that I have to like it." She glanced over to where Erik and Christine were singing. Christine had gotten changed into her wedding dress and he was putting the veil on her head. "Ariel, we can go," said Ivy. "We can go now. Seeing the rest of this will only hurt you."

"I know." But, somehow, I had to stay. To see this through to the end.

"Raoul!" yelled a voice.

I turned to see Raoul standing at the cave entrance, outside the bars.

"Sir, this is indeed an unparalleled delight!" shouted Erik. He grabbed Christine by the neck to keep her from running. "I had rather hoped that you would come. And now, my wish comes true. You have truly made my night."

Raoul started pleading with Erik to let Christine go.

"Your lover makes a passionate plea," said Erik to Christine.

"Please, Raoul it's useless," sang Christine.

"I love her! Does that mean nothing? I love her! Show some compassion!"

"The world showed no compassion to me!" shouted Erik.

"Christine, Christine, let me see her!"

"Be my guest, Sir."

He lifted the bars, allowing the soaking wet Raoul to enter.

Ivy climbed out of the water and sat down next to me. I stayed still and watched the scene unfold.

Erik advanced through the water and threw a lasso around Raoul's neck, then lashed it to the bars.

"Order your fine horses now, raise up your hand to the level of your eyes! Nothing can save you now, except perhaps Christine!" He turned and advanced toward Christine on the shore. "Start a new life with me, buy his freedom with your love! Refuse me, and you send your lover to his death! This is the choice, this is the point of no return!"

She regarded him with disgust. "The tears I might have shed, for your dark fate, grow cold and turn to tears of hate!" she sang.

Their voices rose, filling the cavern, echoing off the walls.

"Farewell, my fallen idol and false friend! We had such hopes, and now those hopes are shattered!" continued Christine. She ripped the veil off her head and threw it on the ground.

"Too late for turning back, too late for prayers and useless pity! Past all hope of cries of help, no point in fighting, for either way you choose, you cannot win!"

Christine's face fell as she realized she had no choice. She began to plead. "Angel of music, who deserves this? Why do you curse mercy? Angel of music, you deceived me! I gave my mind blindly!" She collapsed onto her knees.

She'd given her mind blindly. At least she had an excuse. I'd given mine knowingly. And look what it did to me. What had I been _thinking_? I'd known about his anger, but had never truly seen it displayed. Erik's display of absolute rage had brought me back to my senses. I still cared about him and pitied him - how could you _not_? But I had to go.

"You try my patience," Erik growled. "Make your choice."

"Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known? God give me courage to show you, you are not alone."


	15. Chapter 15

Ariel here.

She pulled away from Erik.

He stood still for a moment, then pulled out a knife and waded into the water. He sliced through the rope, freeing Raoul.

"Take her, forget me, Forget all of this . . . Leave me alone - forget all you've seen . . . Go now - don't let them find you!"

He continued yelling, sinking down against the organ as they ran.

Ivy stood up. "I don't think we have much time left."

I scrambled up and over to Erik. "I have to go soon, Erik. I don't want to. But I have to."

"Sing for me? One more time?"

I didn't have the heart to say no, even if I hadn't wanted to. I glanced at Ivy.

She comes across as hard sometimes, I know. But she's got a heart that's about has hard as a marshmallow. She nodded.

I sang "Learn to Be Lonely". My voice broke every other line, and, at the final note, I started to sob.

I said earlier I hadn't fallen in love. I lied. It wasn't romantic love. Not like in one of those cheesy, cliche, brain searingly idiotic fanfictions that Sharon sometimes sends me to read. But romantic love is far from the only kind a person can experience.

"Go," said Erik, his voice shaking. "Don't let them find you. There's a way up to the surface behind the mirror." He nodded toward a long mirror that leaned against the wall.

"He's right," said Ivy. "Ariel, we need to go now."

I leaned forward and kissed his cheek – the one on the deformed side – then stood. "Goodbye, Erik."

Ivy wrapped an arm around me as we stood up.

We climbed out behind the mirror. My last glimpse of Erik was him sitting next to the organ, face buried in his hands.

Light flooded down the steps – the glow of early morning. We paused a moment at the exit, staring out at the exit.

Erik's voice echoed up from the cellars as we ascended into the morning light. "You alone can make my song take flight. It's over now, the music of the night!"

Ivy here.

I stood in the street for a moment, looking at Ariel. Even in the very early morning light, I could see her face was red. She wouldn't stop crying.

I gave her a hug, not knowing what else to do.

There was a moment of silence.

"I want to go home," she said in a small voice.

I wanted nothing more as well. A strange tingling feeling formed in my chest. Then we were standing in the middle of the street back in our right universe.


	16. Chapter 16

Ivy here.

We stared at each other for a moment.

"We should probably go home and get out of these before someone sees us and thinks we stole our costumes or something," I said.

Ariel nodded.

"Do you want to walk home together or are you okay?"

"I'm okay."

I made it home, slipped in through the back door, and changed out of the clothes before anyone saw me. I hid them in the back of my closet – they were too pretty to get rid of.

Ariel didn't show up at school the next day – called in sick, apparently. She didn't show up for a whole week. Not to rehearsals or anything. At the end of the week, though, she showed at rehearsal, a bright smile plastered on her face and her long brown hair curled. Back to normal, as far as appearances went.

Her voice, however wasn't. She _bleated_ her way through the songs. Like a _goat_. I know it sounds mean, but it's the best descriptor I can come up with. I mean, Ariel at sub par is better than a lot of people's best. But this was… pathetic. By anyone's standards. Sorry Ariel, but that's really the only word for the way it sounded.

No one said anything the first time. Everyone has an off day everyone in a while. But she _kept_ singing like that.

One day, a few weeks before the performance was supposed to start, I cornered her in the room where they were storing the costumes. "Ariel, what's wrong?"

She suddenly became very interested in the carpet. "With him not there… everything seems off. Wrong. Every time I start singing, I can't stop thinking about him. Sitting there. Broken hearted. And I just can't do it."

I pulled my costume off the rack. "Don't think about him. I know about guilt, believe me. Focus your mind on each word, on each note. Keep your focus."

She bit her lip and nodded. "I'll try."

Ariel's singing improved slowly. Sort of. She stopped bleating, but the expression and emotion that she used to have left.

The dress rehearsal the night before our first performance was, frankly, a mess. She couldn't focus on anything and kept making mistakes. I overheard the teachers briefly discussing replacing Ariel with her understudy, but the understudy was sick that week with a horrible case of the flu.

After we were finished with the first act and took a break, she vanished.

I found her quietly crying backstage in her "Masquerade" costume. "I just can't make the thing work!" she sobbed. She slammed her fist against the ground in frustration and started to cry again. "He inspired me and now that I don't have his inspiration I can't make it work."

Edward suddenly appeared in his Red Death costume. "Ariel, I - Ivy! Hi! I didn't see you!"

I stepped in front of Ariel. "Hi, Edward. How's it going?"

"It's, uh, going great." For a guy who was a pretty good actor, he wasn't such a good liar.

"So, Edward," I said, trying to draw attention away from Ariel so she could escape or prepare herself as she wanted. "What other kinds of plays and stuff have you been in?"

His eyes lit up and he started to list off a bunch of plays and musicals. The only names I recognized were _Les Miserables_ and _Fiddler on the Roof_. "This your first?" he asked.

"Yeah, and probably my last. I'm not really cut out for this."

"You're such a good dancer though."

"Thanks, but I have… other interests I'd rather pursue."

"Ariel, uh…" he peered around me. "I just wanted to say..." He stumbled over his words nervously. "Just… maybe… relax more? And… be more expressive."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," said Ariel. "Excuse me, I need to… fix my makeup." She fled.

Edward looked a little worried. "Did that sound mean? I didn't mean it too."

"No, no, it didn't. Ariel… is dealing with a few things right now. She lost her voice teacher and she's _really_ broken up about it. She's just grieving. She'll be better soon."

"Soon" here hopefully meaning "before tomorrow night".


	17. Chapter 17

Ariel here.

The night of the first performance came. I sat backstage, chatting with Edward.

"Okay, just remember what I told you," he said. "Relax." He didn't say "And try not to humiliate us beyond repair", but he didn't have to. My school has a reputation for putting on excellent plays and musicals. And I was about to do it some serious damage if I didn't pull myself together.

Ivy appeared in her costume, identical to mine. The strings of beads that formed her "skirt" moved as she walked over and sat down.

"Ivy!" said Edward, staring. "You look… amazing."

"Thank you." She sat down, spreading a jacket across her legs so her upper legs wouldn't be visible - the beads don't do much for covering up that area when you're sitting - and adjusting her small tiara. "Do you mind if I talk to Ariel for a few minutes? Alone?"

"Okay." He stood up. "See you onstage Ariel." He disappeared, leaving us alone.

"Your family out there?" I asked.

"Yeah. And… other people."

"Other people?"

"Agent Romanoff is here. I just saw her in the back row. And… uh… Cap's with her. She said something about trying to get him more familiar with pop culture."

"No extra pressure not to make a fool of myself or anything," I muttered.

"Three minutes to curtain," called our teacher. "Everyone, start getting in your positions."

I suddenly felt very, _very_ sick.

"I was wrong", she said. "Don't block him out of your head. Sing for him instead. You sang best when he was there, right? Christine was his voice, wasn't she? Well, now that's your job," she said again, and left to take her position.

I took up my position among the dancers, next to our Meg.

"You're going to do great," she said. "Don't worry." However, she clearly wasn't taking her own advice about worrying.

The auction scene began outside the curtain.

Droplets of sweat rolled down my forehead. I wiped them away. This was a bad idea. I should have tried to find someone to replace me. I wasn't ready. It was too soon.

The overture started.

Everyone was staring at me and whispering to their neighbor.

"You're an actress," breathed Ivy's voice in my ear. "_Act_. Pretend you're not nervous."

I felt dizzy and sick. I couldn't do this. It was too soon. I wasn't ready.

The overture ended and Carlotta started to sing.

We danced onstage. I allowed my voice to mix with the others, blending it.

The following scene required me to just be there for a minute or two and react appropriately to everything that happened. Sweat beaded on my forehead. I was about to humiliate myself beyond repair.

"Christine Daae could sing it, Sir," said our Meg, dragging me forward.

The look of fear I was supposed to project was the most genuine I'd ever managed to pull off onstage. I went through the motions, trying to slip away. If Meg hadn't dragged me back as part of the play, I would have probably left the stage.

I was given a scarf and shoved to the front of the stage.

I couldn't force myself to look up at the audience as I forced out the first notes. The rest followed slightly more easily. "Think of me, think of me fondly…" The goat was back.


	18. Chapter 18

Ariel here.

You could practically hear the groaning that the entire cast and all of the teachers were doing inwardly.

I nearly turned and ran offstage in that moment. Then I stared out at the front row and imagined Erik sitting there. Waiting for and expecting only my very best. I couldn't disappoint him. Not now. Not after everything I'd done.

My voice changed drastically on the last few lines. The sound filled the room, surrounding me. I wasn't on the stage anymore. I was in that dark cave, and Erik expected nothing but the best.

I raced to the back of the stage where they attached a skirt to my outfit.

"Ariel, you did it!" whispered someone as they fastened it around my waist.

I walked to the front of the stage and continued the song, pretending that no one was there except for him. I threw finished with the cadenza and threw the scarf away.

I really don't remember much of the rest of the night. I remember hearing my voice fill the room, a lot of applause, and swirling mist in the Phantom's lair.

I walked offstage after taking my bows and promptly fainted.

I woke up a few seconds later to Ivy's voice.

"You okay?" she asked.

Between her and Edward, they helped me get back to the dressing rooms and sit down.

"That was _incredible_!" said Edward.

Everyone crowded around, singing my praises.

"Beautiful!"

"The best you've ever sung!"

"Amazing!"

"Okay, that's enough," said a teacher. "You all did very well. But Ariel… that was… fantastic."

Everyone left eventually, except for Ivy. They were all meeting with their families, who would be congratulating them.

Although I knew Erik wasn't there, I could almost hear his voice, congratulating me on a job well done, but pointing out a high note which had been sharp.

Ivy re-entered, clutching a small bouquet of tulips.

"Your parents?" I asked, motioning to the flowers.

"No. I don't know who they were from, but I have my suspicions."

"Edward."

"Probably. How was it?" asked Ivy, sitting down next to me.

"It was amazing."

She hesitated. "Was it worth it, Ariel? Was it all worth it?"

"Yeah. I guess. I miss him so much. I've listened to my soundtrack of the musicals a million times. I think I hear him singing to me in my dreams sometimes."

"That's creepy."

"Creepy or not, I miss him."

Ivy pulled out her cell phone and typed something in. "You know how that guy always records our performances and puts the highlights online?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's up, and it's been two hours since it went up. And you should see the views you're getting."

She held up her phone for me to see.

"Think of Me" had a couple thousand views in four hours and climbing. Dozens of comments already, almost all with glowing praise. And all for my singing.


	19. Chapter 19

Ivy here. Again.

The night of the performance came. Christine was kind enough to offer to get me a seat so I could watch, but I declined. I'd really rather not risk being hit by a falling chandelier and possibly trapped in a burning theater. That would be incredibly counterproductive to my goal of getting out of everything alive.

Besides, the weird looks people gave me when they saw my hair were getting annoying. My hair is cut short so no one can grab it and use it against me in a fight. The last time someone did, I actually had to cut it off to get free. However, in the 19th century, it's unusual for a woman to have hair barely longer than a boy's.

On top of all that, the scene they did on stage gets a little too… heated for my tastes.

Most of you are probably thinking that I'm oversensitive. I really don't care.

I instead waited by Christine's mirror in her room. It was a long, boring wait. I amused myself by going over my plan repeatedly. I had to do it a lot of times because it was very short. What was my plan? Head down when the performance started and remove Ariel by her hair if necessary. Oh, and keep my hand at the level of my eyes, unlike Raoul did. Literally, that's all I had. I'm horrible at plans, okay?

Music began. I opened the mirror and headed down through the tunnel. I ran through the tunnels, my gasping breaths and footsteps echoing off the walls. It's not that I'm out of shape – quite the opposite, in fact. It's that the stupid corset makes it almost impossible to breathe normally. I'd taken to lacing it properly when I became visible, but hadn't gotten used to it yet. Seriously. What genius thought it was a good idea to put girls in vests that cut off their circulation? Probably whoever said "You must suffer to be beautiful". Probably a man. And, very possibly, an idiot.

I eventually made it to the lake. I glanced down at the dark blue dress. The water would probably ruin it.

"Sorry, Christine," I said, and plunged into the water.

I made it to the lair a few minutes later.

Ariel sat by the edge of the water. Her face was strangely blank as she regarded me.

"Ariel!" I yelled. "I need to talk to you. This will only hurt you. Don't lie to yourself. He's not just a musical genius, he's a murderer. And he's insane."

"I'm under no illusions on that. But are you any better than he is? You're a murderer too." She stood up and waded through the water. Her skirt floated up around her. "You're just less direct about it."

Ouch. "If he hadn't died, Christine would have needed some other way to convince her that the Phantom was a threat. Ariel… neither of us belong here. It's not our place to change anything."

Ariel here.

I regarded Ivy for a moment, thinking over what she said.

"Ariel, we can leave," said Ivy. "We can leave. You have what you wanted, don't you?"

"I didn't do this for that!" I yelled. "I did it because…" Because I'd been mad at Ivy and had wanted to lash out. Because I'd thought maybe it could turn out differently when I knew it couldn't.

"Because you care about people?" Ivy spun around, her hand shooting up to the level of her eyes. A noose wrapped around her neck and arm, pulling her backwards.

I pulled the lever. Christine was removed from the boat and shoved at me. I pulled her over to the shore as Erik jumped out himself.

Ivy was in the process of trying to get the noose off, clawing at it with her free hand. She ceased her efforts to get it off and instead lunged, using her free hand to choke Erik. He released the end of the noose, his hands flying up to wrench her wrist away. She took advantage of the moment, releasing him and loosening the noose so she could slide it off her neck. She threw the noose down in the water and put her hands up in a position of surrender. "I'm here for Ariel," she said, fending off his attacks. "I'll leave you alone, I'll even lure the mob away if you want. Just let her leave."

He looked over at me.

His deformity was visible for the first time since I'd met him. It was bad, much uglier than in the movie (though, granted, that's not saying much – seriously, if I saw someone who looked like him crossing the street I _might_ give them a second glance, it really doesn't look all that bad). Still, I can honestly say I didn't care.

"You're not scared?" asked Erik, eyes boring into me.

I stared back unflinchingly. Except for water splashing softly against walls, the cave was absolutely silent.

"Do you want to go?" he asked.

I shook my head.


End file.
